Identification-locket.



H. l. WINANS.

IDENTIFICATION LOGKET.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 3. 1916.

1,246,369. Patented Nov. 13, 1917.

A TTORNE Y.

' J. WINAN S, OF SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS.

IDENTIFICATION-LOCKER Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 13, 1917.

Application filed November 3, 1916. Serial No. 129,255.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY J. WINANS, a citizen of the United States of America, residing in the city of Springfield, county of Hampden, and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Identification-Lockets, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to lockets or other means adapted to contain tags or identification cards.

An object of the invention is to provide a simple device, for holding an identification card, which is inexpensive to manufacture) Another object is to provide an inexpensive holder adapted to contain a price tag which is constructed and arranged to permit the convenient insertion and removal of the latter when desired.

Another object is to provide a device of the class described which is formed in the shape of a locket. Thus, it may be worn about a childs neck and be ornamental as well as useful. Other objects will appear in the detailed description to follow.

1 seek to provide by my invention a holder for an identification card which, as it is fashioned in the ornamental form ofa locket, may be attractively worn by children. Children frequently stray from their parents and are lost for want of identifying means. The ordinary tags and other devices now employed in identifying children are crude and unpresentable in appearance. Consequently they are seldom employed. No parent cares to have a child conspicuously tagged. However, there is no ob ection to an identification tag if tle same is employed in an artistically fashioned locket. Thus a useful identifying means as well'as an attractive locket is provided. Moreover, my device is particularly applicable as a holder of price tags. Such tags commonly comprise a card with a metallic rim permanently secured therearound. When a price is changed or when the tag becomes soiled a new tag is necessary. With my device, the cardboard ta itself is readily removable, whereby a so1led tag ma be replaced with a clean one.

To this en I employ a locket fashioned from sheet metal, preferably aluminum, as it is light and neat in appearance. This locket is made in a one piece stamping. The latter embodies two halves, connected by a hinge portion, which may be folded one upon the other, after the identification card has been inserted, to form a locket. Securing means integral with the one piece stamping, heretofore alluded to are provided to retain the two halves together. Furthermore a perforated flange is also formed in the stamping to receive a locket chain whereby the device may be suspended from a childs neck. One side of the locket has an opening to re.- veal the writing on the identification locket.

A preferred form of my invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the stamping before it has been folded to form the locket.

Figs. 2 and 3 are plan and side elevational views, respectively, of the identification card Figs. 4 and 5 are plan and elevational views, respectively, of a transparent member adapted to be used in connection with the card shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

Fig. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view of Fig. 1 taken on the line 66 and looking in the directionof the arrows;

Figs. 7, 8, and 9 are front, side and rear ele'ational views of the completed locket; an

Fig. 10 is a sectional view through the completed locket;

Fig. 11 is a view similar to Fig. 10 and shows a modification of my locket;

Fig. 12 is a front elevational view of a modification adapted for use with price tags and shows one of the latter partially removed from the casing;

Fig. 13 is a central vertical section thereof showing the price tag in place; a

Fig. 14 is a detail sectional view taken on the line 14r1 1 of Fig. 12;

Figs. 15 and 16 are views similar to Fig. 12, showing a modification in the shape of the casing.

Figs. 1 and 18 are further modifications; Fig. 18 being on line 18 of Fig. 17.

Referring to the drawings: Figs. 1 and 6 show the shape and structure of the one piece stamping from which the locket is formed. This stamping is formed with two substantially circular ortions 1 and 2, the latter being formed w1th a circular opening 3. Each member 1 and 2 is also provided with inturned perforated circular shaped flange portions 5 and 4 respectively. The flanges and 6 respectively, and are connected together by. an integral fiat strip 8 (see Fig. 6). The circular portion 1 is also provided 4 and 5 are provided with holes 7 member 1 and 2 coincide to form the locket with an integral protruding flat strip 9 for a purpose later to be described. It is to be noted particularly that the portions 1 and 2 are substantially semi-elliptical in cross section (see Fig. .6) and have much the appearance of an ordinary watch or locket.

The flanged portions 4: and 5 are also neatly The latter portions lie within the inturned flange 4 and position the members 10 and 12 in the locket to prevent their turning. The transparent member 12 is placed next to the opening 3 in member 2, as shown in Fig. 10, and serves to keep the card 10 clean and free from dirt and dust.

After the card 10 and mica piece 12 have been placed into the member 2, the portion 1 is folded thereover so that the edges of each shown in Figs. 7 to 10 inclusive. The strip 8 is sufliciently flexible to act as a hinge for the members 1 and 2, as shown in Figs. 8 and 10. After the portions 1 and 2 have been brought together as described, the portion 9 is bent over against the rounded wall of the lower portion of member 2 to securely hold the parts 1 and 2 in position. It is to be noted that the inturned flanges 4 and 5 register with each other and the holes 6 and 7 coincide to form a continuous opening adapted to receive a locket chain. The portions 8 and 9 are sufficiently flexible to allow the locket to be opened and closed many times before breaking. The finished appearance of the locket is clearly shown in Figs. 7, 8, and 9.

I may, if I desire, form my locket as indicatedin Fig. 11. The construction there shown is identical with that shown in Fig. 10 except that both sections 1 and 2 are provided With central openings 1 and 3,

respectively.

A card 10, exactly similar to that shown in Fig. 2 except that it is provided on both sides with the printed information, is shown in the locket. Thus the information on the card is arranged to be readable from both sides of the locket. The transparent protecting, members 12 have been omitted from Fig. 11 but it is understood that such devices could be used on either or both sides of the card 10 if desired.

Figs. 12, 13 and 14. showa modification which is particularly adapted for use with price tags, shipping tags and the like. The

masses structure is very similar to that already described and is made from a one piece stamping as previously described. It consists of a pair of ring sections lfl and 19 which are joined together by means of the integral neck portion at16. An opening 17 is provided to permit the attachment of'a' string and a talo'15 similar to that already described is used to hold the members 14: and 19 together. The ring sections 14 and 19 are flat as indicated in Figs. 11 and 14 and the inner surfaces 14 and 19 are serrated or roughened, as clearly shown in Fig. 14:. These roughened surfaces grip the opposite marginal edges of the card 18 and serve to retain it in position. This modified form has been found to be particularly useful as a holder for marking or price tags. If desired, I may form a holder similar to that just described which is rectangular or square in shape as shown in Figs. 15 and 16, respectively. vIn Fig. 15 an extra set of clips 9 are employed to efiectively retain the edges 9 together so that the price card will not slip out and become lost.

It is to be noted particularly that I do not limit myself to a holder for an identification card as obviously any form of card may be employed Without departing from the scope and spirit of my invention which is defined in the appended claims.

The rectangular form shown in Fig. 16 is of such a size that the integral clip effectively retains the marginal edges of the frame close together to prevent the tag from becoming lost or from slipping out from between the marginal edges of the'frame.

In the construction shown in Figs. 17 and .18 the flexible strip connecting the twov sections of the locket is omitted and these sections are made separately and secured together by means of a hollow rivet 20, whereby the sections 1 and 2 of the locket may be rotated in a. common plane for permitting the identification card and disk of mica to be inserted, also for attaching a ribbon to the locket. The protruding flat strip 9 is employed, as before, for holding the sections of the locket together in the same manner shown in the other figures. It will be ob servedthat the sections 1 and 2 of this form are semi-circular in cross-section the same as shown in the other forms of the invention, particularly in Fig. 11. One important feature of making the sections separate and then securing them together with the rivet is that it reduces the cost of manufacture since the dies that are employed for stamping would not have to be as large and expensive to make as would be'the case with the construction shown in Figs. 1 and 6 wherein. a flexible connecting strip 8 is used to connectthe two sections together.

It will he observed from Fig. 12 that the open unsecured side edges of the card retion card to be slipped out or in when desired without disturbing the flexible lip 15.

'What I claim is:

1. A card-retaining device adapted to contain an identification or other card, comprising in combination, two complete ringshaped sections arc-shaped in cross section Whose edges coincide to form a rounded outer surface, one of said sections formed with an opening therethrough, a flexible strip connecting said sections, said strip adapted to form a hinge to permit either section to be opened or closed relatively to the other section and means located on the end of one of the sections designed to be bent over the other section to hold said sections in closed relation, said sections, strip and means being integral portions of a one piece member.

2. A card-retaining device, comprising in combination, two sections, one formed with an opening therein, inturned' flanges on each of said sections and each flange formed with an opening therethrough, a flexible strip connecting said flanges, said strip adapted to form a hinge and permit one section and said flanges to be folded relatively to and superposed on the other section'so that'the edges of the sections and flanges coincide, an integral strip on one of said sections designed to be bent around the end of the other section to retain the locket closed, said sections, flanges and strips being integral portions of a one piece stamping.

3. A card-retaining device, comprising in combination, two sections circular in cross section, one of the sections thereof bein formed with an opening therein and adapted to contain a card, perforated flanges on said sections, an integral flexible strip connecting said flanges, said strip adapted to act as a hinge and permit the two sections to be opened and closed, and means to hold said sections together in closed relation, said sections, flanges, strip and means being integral parts, and said perforations in sa1d flanges adapted to register when said sections are closed to permit attaching means to be passed therethrough.

4. A retaining device adapted to contain a cardfcomprising in combination, two sections circular in cross section, one section portions of a one piece member.

formed with an opening therein, a flexible strip connecting said sections, said strip adapted to form a hinge to permlt either section to be opened or closed relatively, to

the other section and means to 'hold the edges of said sections in closed coinciding relation, said sections, strip and means being integral 5. A holder watchhaped in form adapted to contain a card upon which matter is to be written or printed and, comprising in combination, two sections designed to be moved relative to each other and which are formed with openings therein, said sections being circular in cross section, a hinge connecting said sections to permit either section to be opened or closed relatively to the other section, and means to hold said sections in closed coinciding relation, said sections, and said hinge means being integral portions of a one piece member, and means on the sections to frictionally retain the card in place.

6. A holder adapted to contain a card upon which matter is to be written or printed and comprisin in combination two complete ring-shape sections arc-shaped in cross section and designed to be moved relative to each other in a lateral/and parallel direction and which are formed with openings therein to exhibit the matter on the card, a hinge connecting the sections to per- 'mit said relative movement, means to secure the sections together at a point opposite to the hinge connection of the sections, said sections being open at their edges to permit the card to be inserted and removed laterally.

7. A card retaining device comprising in combination, two ring-like sections, means for pivotally connecting the sections together including integral coinciding extensions on the sections, the sections being arcshaped in cross section to provide curved outer coinciding edges, one of the sections having an integral extension for holding the sections together in close relation, as described, said sections permitting the inser-- tion of a, circular identification card'between its edges.

- HARRY J. WINANS. Witnesses: v

HARRY W. BownN, 

